Thomas County cat. [volume] (Colby, Kan.) 1885-1891, 1887-06-23
MEXICAN NOTES.
Charles Dudley Warmers Impressions o.
. Railway Trip In Mexico.

MEXICAN NOTES.
Charles Dudley Warmers Impressions OF
. Railway Trip In Mexico.
Cuautla is typical Mexican village
in the temperate region. about 1000
feet above the sea, in the State of Mo-
relos. which adjoins the State of Mex
f! leo on the south 1t is reached by a
railway-eighty miles in seven hours
which climbs out of the valley east
ward, and then runs south and west,
making an almost exact half-circle to
| its destination. In Mexico the rail-
| WAYS must run where the mountains
permit.
The first part of the way lies over
the fiat plain, through the chinampas.
Or little patches Of truck gardens.
over narrow canals and bitches,
through overlooked ground with tufts
OF marsh-grass, and between the two
lakes. The whole region is alive with
teal ducks, which rise from the lagoon
and whirl away in fiocks as the train
passes. On the slightly elevated Dads
donkeys laden with vegetables (the pa
tient beast which witty woman calls
1.-The short and simple animal of the
pOor'), Indian women, also bent to
their burdens, short, with fat
faces, brown legs, small feet and
small hands-the aristocracy Of
the soil-and Mexican laborers
in ragged serapes and broad straw
hats, file along toward the city. Soon
abrupt elevations in the plain are
reached. picturesque heights with
churches, and the foothills are
entered. The journey grows more in
teresting rs we ascend. the adobe
villages have more foreign character,
and the mixed population becomes
more picturesque in costume and hab-
its. The tram is made up Of first,
second and third class cars. The Next
can men in the first-class. yellow half
breeds, are gorgeous in array. wear
ing enormous and heavy high-crowned.
broad-brimme.l hats, loaded with sill
YER and gold bullion, trousers braided
down the seams or thick sewn with
coins or buttons of silver, every man
with a pistol ostentatiously strapped
on his waist, and many of them carry
ing guns. These gentlemen are going
to hunt Mt some hacienda in the hills.
and at the stations where they alight
there is great scurrying about. getting
into rickety carriages, mounting
heavily caparisoned little horses. which
fidget and curvet. There is an anus
ing air of bravado about it all.
The third-class cars have four paral-
lei benches running from end to end,
and are packed with a motley throng-
Indian-lOoking Mexican women in blue
ribosas, plenty Of children and babies.
men in soiled serapcs and big hats,
every body eating some odd mess. At
all the stations the train makes long
halt, and the sides of the cars swarm
with hucksters. mostly women and
boys, Offering the sapotas and other
tasteless fruits. tamales, and other in
descriha5le edi5les. ices (flavored and
colored SNOWY. pink drinks family
savored with lines and pulque. The
tdmal is favorite composite all over
the republic. 1t consists Of chopped
meat, tomatoes. and chile rolled in
tortilla. The tortilla, perhaps it is
necessary to say, the almost universal
country substitute fr bread. is cake
made of maize, and about the size of
large buckwheat cake. Its manufacture
is one of the chief occupations of
the women. In almost every hut and
garden one can hear the grinding and
the patting Of the tortIlla. Seated on
the ground, the woman has beside her
a dish Of soaking grains of maize. In
front of her is curved stone. and upon
this she masheS the maize with 4 stone
roller held in both hands until it is 4
paste. This paste she mOlds and skill
fully pats into shape. and lays upon Il
piece of sheet-ron to bake over a
charcoal fire. Too often it is like
Ephraim-''a cake not turned.
At and before we reached Ameca-
MEGA, an elevation Of over 5000 feet,
the twin snow mountain rose in view,
and thereafter lorded it over the land
scape iii all our winding way. From
Amecameca the ascent Of Popocatepetl
is usually made. and the cone shows
very grandly across the ravine from its
elevation. This is the village of sacred
shrines and noble groves, much re-
sorted to by pilgrims and exeursonists.
AT the sacred festival in May us many
as 10000 worshipers assemble here.
At Ozumba. where the road begins to
descend, we breakfasted very well for
fifty cents. III rude shanty, on eggs,
rice, beefsteak, three or four other
kinds of meats and stews. sweets,
pulque and black coffee. The puique
is best in these high regions. 1t is
viscious milk-white fluid. very whole
some and sustaining. and would be u
most agreeable drink if it Tasted
good" In fact it tastes. when it has
been few days fermented, like MKT
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